Marked Twice by the Alpha King novel Chapter 206

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Blake’s POV

Standing in the grand foyer of the Hayes estate, I watched my Gamma guards secure restraints around Richard and Martha’s wrists. The crystal chandelier overhead cast dancing shadows across their pale faces, making them look like the ghosts they were about to become in werewolf society.

Finally. The thought burned through me with savage satisfaction. After all these months of political games and careful maneuvering, justice is finally within reach.

My phone buzzed with Tyler’s update: Jackson secured. Both women safe. Heading back to base.

Relief flooded through me like cool water on burning skin. Ava and Sophia had succeeded in their part of the plan, and now Jackson was where he belonged–in chains. The memory of that bastard suggesting Ava become his mistress made my hands clench. If Tyler hadn’t already secured him, I might have shifted right here in this pretentious hallway.

“Alpha King!” Richard’s voice cracked like thin ice. “This has to be some kind of misunderstanding! Jackson’s just young and ambitious–he would never-

“Richard.” I cut him off, my voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. “Sarah Rivers heard everything. Every detail about how you framed William. Every word about your conspiracy.”

The color drained from his face so fast I thought he might collapse. Good. Let him feel a fraction of the terror William had endured these past months.

Martha stepped forward, desperation making her voice shrill. “We can explain everything! There are circumstances you don’t understand—

“Explain what?” I let my eyes flash gold, just enough to remind them what they were dealing with. “Explain how you planned for an entire patrol to die? Explain how you destroyed an innocent man’s life for political gain?”

These pathetic excuses for wolves thought they could manipulate me, use my daughter as a pawn in their sick game. The rage simmered just beneath my skin, my wolf demanding blood. But this wasn’t the time for personal satisfaction. This was about justice, about clearing William’s name and freeing him to reunite with his family.

I turned away from their pleading faces. Let them rot. Right now, I had a promise to keep to the woman I loved.

The drive to Shadow Creek prison felt both endless and too short. Sarah sat beside me in the passenger seat, her hands twisted together in her lap, knuckles white with tension. Through the window, the familiar landscape of Shadow Creek territory rolled past–forests and meadows that had once been William’s to protect.

“He’ll be so surprised,” Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible over the engine. “I haven’t told him I was leaving Hayes territory. He’ll think something terrible happened.”

I glanced at her profile, noting the dark circles under her eyes, the way her shoulders carried months of accumulated stress. This woman had sacrificed everything to stay close to her imprisoned mate, enduring the Hayes family’s manipulation and lies.

“He’s going to be free in less than an hour,” I said gently. “After that, nothing else will matter.”

Including the fact that I’m about to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. The thought made my chest tight with an unfamiliar nervousness. I’d faced down hostile Alphas, negotiated with foreign powers, commanded armies–but asking William Rivers for Ava’s hand felt more terrifying than any of it.

The prison walls appeared ahead, gray stone rising against the afternoon sky like a monument to injustice. How many innocent wolves had suffered behind those walls? How many lives had been destroyed by corruption and political games?

Not William’s. Not anymore.

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20. HIS GIF, HIS WITE

The warden met us at the entrance, his face carefully neutral. He’d received my orders an hour ago–full release, all charges dropped, official pardon from the Alpha King himself. But I could see the curiosity burning in his eyes. William Rivers had been the most high–profile prisoner in Shadow Creek history.

“Cell block seven,” the warden said, leading us through corridors that reeked of despair and disinfectant. “He’s been… well, he’s held up better than most. Never lost hope, even when things looked darkest.”

That’s where Ava gets her strength.

The cell door swung open with a metallic clang that echoed off stone walls. William sat on the narrow cot, reading a worn book that must have been read a hundred times. When he looked up, I saw where Ava had inherited her fierce green eyes.

He was thinner than I remembered, graying at the temples, but his posture remained proud. Prison hadn’t broken him. Nothing could break a man like William Rivers.

“William.” I stepped into the cell, Sarah close behind me. “You’re free.”

For a moment, he didn’t move. Just stared at us like we might disappear if he blinked. Then his gaze found Sarah, and something cracked in his controlled expression.

“Sarah?” His voice was rough with disuse. “What are you doing here? Is Ava-”

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